


Rekindled

by AJWrites1998



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: M/M, Sickfic, again im sorry, coffee shop AU, except its kinda in the same universe so not really an au, i wrote this really quickly and now im tossing it at you, so here you go, this is my first yakko/max fic also but i couldnt stand it any longer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28662123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJWrites1998/pseuds/AJWrites1998
Summary: Yakko is stuck at work, fighting a cold, and just plain bored. Someone from his past comes along to help out.
Relationships: Max Goof/Yakko Warner
Comments: 22
Kudos: 106





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with my third sickfic for this fandom but it's okay because this time it's also a coffee shop au!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Yakko leans over the counter, resting his head on his hand. It’s been an hour since anyone has come into the coffee shop, and he’s bored as hell. The thought of closing early has been on his mind, but he decides he’d rather not be fired. His feet are starting to hurt, but it’s nothing compared to the headache he’d been fighting since he’d gotten up and come into work 8 hours ago. He’d had had a cold for a few days, but being stuck at work on a slow day had made him stop and realize how bad he actually felt. He was sniffling non-stop and his coughing could very well be why the customers at the strip mall were staying far away, not that he could convince his boss of that. Instead, he had to stay put for another hour until he could actually close down the shop and head home. He puts his head down and groans. 

He’s rudely interrupted by the ding of the bell, signaling that a customer was walking in. Looking up, he yells the mandated welcome and stood up a little straighter. The quickness of it made him a little dizzy. At least, he hoped it was because it was so quick and not because something else was wrong. He sways a bit as the guy walks to the counter.

The other thing that kind of sucked was that the guy was cute, and Yakko did not look his best at the moment. He definitely couldn’t deny that he was fighting a cold. His nose was always red, but right now it was brighter with how many tissues had been in contact with it. His eyes looked sunken from lack of sleep. His uniform and apron were disheveled, so he decided to straighten it out a bit as the guy approached the counter.

“How can I help you?” He asks, logging into the register and preparing to type in a coffee order. The guy double takes, which confuses Yakko, but begins ordering anyway. Yakko punches in his coffee and rings him up, then starts making it. 

“Just you here today?” The guy asks. His voice is sweet, kind of goofy and high pitched, and Yakko loves it. He wonders if the guy was expecting someone else. He usually works this shift, and he’s pretty sure he’s seen this guy before, but he usually does have some help during this time of day. 

“Yeah, my coworker is out with the flu, so it’s just me.” Yakko says, putting the lid on the coffee and handing it over to him. 

“Thanks,” the guy says, taking the coffee from him. He gives Yakko a smile, and he’s close to melting. “You guys close in an hour, right? Would you mind if I kept you company?” 

This should set off about 10 red flags for Yakko, but instead he smiles. There’s just something about this guy that feels right. 

“Only if you tell me your name, first.” he says. The guy blushes.

“Oh! Right! Sorry, this might sound weird, but I’ve been working up the courage to talk to you for so long I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Max.” he extends his hand and Yakko shakes it.

“Yakko Warner, at your service!” he says, “I was about to ask if we’d met before, you do look awfully familiar.” 

“About that, actually...we have. Um, when we were younger, I didn’t expect you to remember it, it was that crossover gala in ‘98, we hid under the tables and switched people’s shoes until my dad’s got tied together and he tripped going onto the stage and we had to go home.”

Yakko’s eyes widen. 

“Oh my god, Max Goof! How could I forget?! That was without a doubt the best industry party I’ve ever been to!” He exclaims, although he coughs rather harshly after it. He steers away from any concern by adding, “How have you been?”

“Oh, great! I, uh, I started going to the local college to, uh, try to get out of the acting thing for a while. My dad’s been really supportive, too. He just got a great theme park gig with Uncle Mickey and Aunt Minnie, too. Uh, how about you?”

“That’s really great! I’m actually saving up to start college, too. The royalties from the show have been running kinda low, so I picked up this job here to support my siblings and try to get the money together. We’ve been in talks for a reboot, though, so hopefully that’ll go through. But, for now, here I am, I guess.” he laughs, a very stuffed up, but very genuine laugh. 

“It’s really good to see you again, man.” Max says, and there’s a look in his eyes Yakko can’t quite place, but he’s pretty sure it’s present in him, too. 

“Yeah, you too. How’s Roxanne?” Yakko asks, and he’s not sure what makes him do it.

“Oh, uh, we broke up ages ago. Turns out she wasn’t really my type.” he says, his eyes glancing at Yakko's work apron, and Yakko tries not to think about the fact that it’s where he displays his bi pin. 

Before Yakko can really say anything else, he has to turn away to sneeze a couple of times. He pulls out a tissue to blow his nose, but he’s not really having any luck.

“You feeling okay?” Max asks, and Yakko nods.

“Yeah, I’ve just had this cold for a couple of days.” he says, sniffling one more time to no avail. Max eyes him suspiciously. “I know that’s not really what you want to hear from the guy making your coffee, but I swear I washed my hands.”

“I believe you! I’m just saying you don’t look so good.” he says, and Yakko must look dejected, because he quickly says, “I mean! You look great! Very cute! Just, like, in a sick way! Not that you look horrible or anything, I’m so sorry-”

“Max, it’s fine, I get it!” he cuts him off, giving him a small smile, “My siblings said the same thing this morning. I tried to call in, but apparently my coworker had an ‘actual doctor’s note’ and didn’t ‘just want to watch the company fail,’ so, I’m here.”

“Aw, dude, that sucks. Have you got tomorrow off, at least?”

“Yeah, the next two days, but I’m supposed to go see Wakko’s band and then we’re having dinner with Dot’s new partner, and then we’ve got the contract meetings all day the next day, so we’ll see how that goes.” he sighs. Just thinking about it makes him more tired.

“Well, if you ever get some time for yourself, you should come hang out at my dad’s place. I just got some video games, and I’d love to have someone to play with.” Max says, and Yakko idly wonders if that would be considered a date, but he doesn’t say anything about that out loud.

“I’d love to,” he says, realizing he should probably say something instead of just grinning like a madman. Max laughs. 

The two keep talking, telling each other stories about their youth. Yakko’s pretty sure he admitted to at least three crimes, but he really didn’t care. Their conversation was so smooth, like they really got each other. The only thing was, Yakko was getting really tired. At ten minutes to close, he was having trouble keeping his eyes open, and he felt like he was going to keel over any second. 

At five minutes to close, Yakko mentions that he should probably start closing things down. Max almost looks sad, but there’s something else there. Concern, maybe? He scribbles a number down on a napkin and hands it to Yakko.

“Here,” he says, “Give me a call, sometime. I’d love to hang out.” Yakko grins.

“Of course!” Yakko says, slipping it into his pocket. “I can call you when I get off, if you want. Usually I talk to my siblings on the way home to make me feel better about the walk, but I wouldn’t mind switching it up once in a while.” Max’s eyes go wide, and Yakko wonders what he said.

“You walk all the way to the studio from here?” he asks. Yakko doesn’t understand why it’s a big deal, it’s only a mile and a half, but he nods. “No offense, dude, but you look like you’re going to pass out just standing here. Please forgive me if this is weird, but I can hang around and drive you home if you want.” 

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Yakko says, but it does sound nice. Even in the last hour, he’s started to feel worse. The thermostat in the shop is constantly set to 74, and he knows this, but he’s been shivering for the last twenty minutes, and he’d started coughing a little more, as well. 

“You don’t have to ask, I’m offering! I don’t really have anywhere to be, school doesn’t start back for another week, and my dad’s on set tonight, I don’t mind.” Max says. Yakko weighs his options. If for some reason Max turned evil and is trying to kill him, he’s doing a pretty good job, because Yakko really doesn’t seem to care. He’s just tired, and if he can be home in less than fifteen minutes, he’d love to be.

“Okay. I just have to close the registers and clean up, if you don’t mind waiting.” he says, although he’s already been closing down the machines as they’ve been talking, so there’s only one left. Max nods, sitting at a table while Yakko closes up. He has to pause to wash his hands after he sneezes a couple of times, but he finally finishes. He hops the counter on shaky legs and walks over to Max. “Ready when you are.” 

Max jumps up, and Yakko clocks out and locks the door behind them. The cool outside air makes Yakko shiver. He brushes shoulders with Max, who jumps, and Yakko wonders if it’s a bad thing, but Max looks surprised.

“You’re hot!” he exclaims, and Yakko blushes. “Uh, I mean...like, warm, like physically, wait, no, uh, like temperature!” he stumbles, “Not that you’re not, also, like, hot...I’m gonna stop talking now.” 

“No, no, I like it. Keep doing the thing where you call me hot, it boosts my ego.” Yakko jokes, but really it’s only a half-joke. Max lets out a laugh anyways. 

“Seriously, though, you’re burning up. You should take a nap, like, immediately when you get home. Are your siblings there to keep an eye on you?”

“Yeah, they’re home.” Yakko says. Normally, he would add that he didn’t need his siblings to keep an eye on him, that HE would be keeping an eye on his siblings, but after he goes through it in his head, it seems like too much effort to say out loud.

“Good. You guys still live in the water tower, right?”

“Yep, home sweet water tower!” He says, and it’s admittedly not his funniest joke, but Max still laughs, and boy is it nice. Max puts the car in reverse and backs out of the parking space, then pulls out onto the road. 

“Do you like it there? Didn’t you guys get, like, trapped in there or something?” Max asks, and then follows with, “Actually, you don’t have to answer that, I didn’t mean to bring up any trauma or anything, I’m sorry-” Yakko cuts him off.

“It’s okay, we actually love it there. It was a trap at first, but we always sort of knew how to get out. I mean, the first few weeks, when we had to learn how to feed Wakko, that was terrifying, but now we can do whatever we want, and it’s a nice place. Plus, it’s rent free since it’s technically a prison!” He says. He feels like it probably needs more context, and he could go into it, but his throat is starting to hurt, and his voice is giving out a bit, so instead he rests his head on the cool car window. He thinks Max says something else, but he doesn’t quite hear it. He blinks, but when he opens his eyes again, they’re at the water tower. 

“Oh, sorry. Guess this is my stop.” He says sheepishly. He wonders if security gave Max any grief for being at the wrong property, but seeing that security is Ralph, he kind of doubts it. 

“I can walk you in and say hi to your siblings, if you want.” Max says, already taking the keys out of the ignition. Yakko nods.

“Sure, I bet they’ll love it.” he says, and it’s genuine. It’s been a while since they’ve had guests at the tower. 

They start the climb up, which makes Yakko dizzier than usual, but Max steadies him, which he thinks is nice. By the time they get to the top, Yakko is breathing hard. Max winces, giving him a look of sympathy. Yakko pushes the door open after he catches his breath. He tries to make his voice sound more there than it is when he calls out to his siblings, saying he’s home and he has a guest. The two of them bound down the hall, stopping just before the two of them.

“Ooooooooh, Yakko brought a boy home!” Dot says in a singsong-y voice. Wakko makes a kissy face. Yakko blushes.

“No, no, it’s not...he just walked me home from work.” Yakko says, exchanging a glance with Max. “This is Max. We met a while ago, but we were talking at work, and he offered me a ride home.” 

This, amazingly, did not stop his siblings’ teasing. 

“I’m Max, and I was just going to make sure your brother got some rest.” Max says, which makes Yakko blush even more. He was pretty sure he’d had more emotions today than he’d ever had in his life. 

“Thanks for taking him home!” Dot says.

“Yeah, he looks worse than he did this morning!” Wakko chimes in.

“Standing right here, sibs.” Yakko folds his arms as if he’s angry, but he can’t muster any emotion behind it. Still, Dot looks past him at Max while Wakko takes his arm and leads him towards the bedroom. 

“You’re welcome to hang out with us for a bit,” Dot is saying, though her voice is getting quieter as he’s pulled inside the bedroom. He wants to protest more, to tell them he’s fine, and that he’d really like to stay up with them if Max is going to be hanging out, but his tiredness overcomes him and he’s out as soon as his head hits the pillow. 

In the morning, he wakes up to three texts. If he didn’t know any better, he might just think he was falling in love.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yakko gets an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I posted my first chapter of this, I had some ideas going forward, but I wasn't sure people wanted to read it, so I asked if I should write more. I got a lot of encouragement, and I was thinking I would probably write some more. Then, I got a comment telling me to "do it or you're straight" and I just couldn't take that chance, so I immediately sat down and planned out the rest of the fic! Hope you guys enjoy!

Max watches Yakko get carted off to bed by his brother, and he still can’t help but think Yakko looks cute. His heart is pounding, and he feels a smile tug at his lips. He turns to Dot, who’s shaking her head at Yakko’s stubbornness. 

“Is he always like this?” Max asks.

“You mean stubborn and unable to admit when he needs help? Yeah, pretty much.” She says, rolling her eyes. Max doesn’t have the words to admit that he meant to be asking if Yakko was always this cute. Dot pats the couch next to her as she plops down on it. Wakko makes his way into the kitchen as he leaves the bedroom.

“He’s already asleep.” Wakko says, “Poor guy.” 

“Yeah, he’s been working too hard lately, and now he’s sick on top of it.” Dot says, sighing, “I hope he feels better after some sleep.”

“Yeah, me too.” Max says absentmindedly, prompting some giggles from the younger Warners. He doesn’t know how to respond. Luckily, Dot chimes in.

“Anyways, you wanna play some video games?” she asks, picking up a controller.

“Uh, isn’t it almost bedtime?” Max asks, as Dot tosses Wakko a controller. He sits in front of them.

“Well, Yakko’s not here, and you’re not our babysitter, so we don’t have a bedtime.” Dot says firmly, and Max guesses he can’t argue with that. He thinks about saying that he meant it was his bedtime, because he did, but he decides against it and takes the controller he’s handed. 

To be fair, he’s always been horrible at Mario Kart, so he can’t tell if they’re really good or if he’s just really bad. He doesn’t mind, though. The siblings keep yelling pretty funny insults at each other. It’s rather enjoyable. After a couple of hours, he stretches and hands back his controller. 

“I should probably head out before my dad gets worried.” He says, standing up. To his surprise, Dot pulls him back down. 

“Hold on, let me give you Yakko’s phone number. If he’s this out of it tonight, he won’t remember to text you tomorrow, and I don’t want him to talk himself out of it after waiting too long.” She says, matter-of-factly.   
“Oh, uh, thanks.” He says, accepting the piece of paper from her. He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “You really think he wants to talk to me?”

Both of the younger Warner siblings nod vigorously, which makes him blush even more. He nods back, taking a deep breath.

“Okay. I’ll text him in the morning.” he says, heading towards the door, “I had a lot of fun tonight.” 

“Save it for our brother.” Wakko says, and Dot winks. He blushes some more, and barely has time to say goodbye before shutting the door behind himself. He hears giggles from inside.

When he makes it home, his dad’s still asleep. He heads up to his room and falls onto his bed. Before he falls asleep, he enters the new phone number into his phone. He thinks about texting a goodnight, but decides against it. He falls asleep thinking about what he’ll text in the morning. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yakko’s three wake up texts were as follows: one, Wakko informing him he’d left for his gig, and that Yakko should only join if he felt up to it, Dot, reminding him that they can reschedule the dinner with her new girlfriend if he needs to rest, but that he should let her know, and Max, just asking how he’s feeling. He chooses to answer that one first, as it seems the least complicated.

I’m alright. How are you doing today? he asks. He sits up, but immediately realizes that’s not the best idea. He’s dizzy and sweating and he feels gross. Maybe telling Max he was alright was misleading. He lays back down, pulling the covers back up to his chest in a feeble attempt to get warm. He lets his phone fall onto the bed next to him, closing his eyes again.

When he wakes up again, there’s a knock at the door. He’s even sweatier now, and hot, and definitely not presentable, and he wonders who would be coming over. If it was Wakko or Dot, they’d have a key, they wouldn’t need to knock. Unless Wakko ate his key again, he reasons. He stumbles out of bed, steadying himself before finally heading to the front door. 

When he opens it, he’s surprised to see Max. He straightens up, trying to make himself look more presentable. It doesn’t really work, but Max doesn’t seem to mind. He immediately looks apologetic. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you get out of bed. Your siblings sent me. I brought some soup.” he says, holding up the jar of soup he brought with him. Yakko’s heart melts. He tries to clear his throat before he speaks, but he ends up having a mild coughing fit while ushering Max in and closing the door behind him. The cold from the outside had only barely seeped in, but it made him shiver.

“You didn’t have to do that.” He says, his voice harsh. Max winces at it, and Yakko blushes. 

“I didn’t want to leave your siblings hanging.” Max says, but Yakko gets the feeling it’s a little bit more than that. Max sets the soup down on the table. “Where are your bowls?” 

“Oh, I got it,” Yakko says, moving to the kitchen. Max sets a hand on his shoulder.

“No, please, let me.” He says, and Yakko almost melts. He points to the cabinet with the bowls and smiles sheepishly. Max pulls one down and pours some soup into it. He sees Yakko, just staring at him, and they both blush. “Uh, you can, um, go lay down while I finish this, if you want.” Yakko nods, parking himself on the couch. It’s probably a good idea, because he’s not doing well on his feet. He pulls out his phone to several texts from both of his siblings.

Wakko, 3 hours ago: How are you feeling?

Dot, 3 hours ago: You alright, bro?

Wakko, 2 hours ago: We’re talking about rescheduling the dinner. Sound good?

Dot, 2 hours ago: If you don’t respond we’re rescheduling. 

Wakko, 2 hours ago: Let us know if you’re alright. 

Dot, 2 hours ago: Alright, if you don’t respond I’m sending your new boyfriend over

Dot, 2 hours ago: Seriously, I’ll do it. I stole his number from you while you were sleeping.

Dot, 2 hours ago: We’re postponing the dinner, also. And Wakko says if you show up to his gig he’s going to drop an anvil on your head. 

Wakko, 1 hour ago: If you show up to my gig I’m going to drop an anvil on your head.

Dot, 1 hour ago: Your boyfriend is on his way. 

Wakko, 1 hour ago: Please let us know you’re alright when you can.

Dot, 1 hour ago: Let us know when Max gets there.

Max, 1 hour ago: Hey, just so you know, I’m coming over. Your siblings asked me to. If you don’t want that, just let me know.

Yakko blushes harder, if that’s even possible. He opens up a group message to Wakko and Dot. He’s not my boyfriend, and why did you send him over here? I look like hell! 

Wakko: Why do you care what you look like if he’s not your boyfriend?

Dot: Answer our texts next time, idiot

Yakko rolls his eyes and puts his phone back down. He guesses they were probably just worried about him, and he doesn’t blame them. It’s almost three in the afternoon, and he was just now waking up. Even though he’d slept well over the recommended amount, he was still tired, and that didn’t seem right. 

Max walks into the room, interrupting his thoughts. He passes Yakko a bowl of soup, warmed up, with some crackers around it. He breathes in the steam, and it’s heaven to his clogged sinuses. He smiles. 

“Helping?” Max asks with a smile on his face. Yakko nods. He eats a few bites, feeling stronger than he has all day. 

“I should probably get ready for my brother’s show.” he sighs, staring at the clock.

“Um, are you sure you’re up for that?” Max asks, and Yakko knows the answer. He doesn’t feel like ever moving again, and he’s pretty sure it’s written all over his face. 

“I’ve never missed something big my siblings did before. I’m always there to support them.” He says, without even thinking about it. 

“I think Wakko will understand. He knows you weren’t feeling well.” 

“Yeah, and he told me he’d drop an anvil on my head if I showed up.” Yakko says dejectedly. It wasn’t a joke, but Max still laughs. Yakko isn’t even mad. Max’s laugh is so cute. 

“Sounds like you need to stay here, then. We can, um, watch a movie or something.” Max says, “I always like to watch movies when I’m sick.” 

Yakko melts. The thought of spending the day with Max is making his heart feel like it’s soaring out of his chest. 

He doesn’t know what makes him do it. Maybe it’s because he’s sad that he’s not able to watch Wakko play the drums. Maybe it’s the fever. Maybe it’s because his heart craves affection more than his brain can tell him that they’re not there yet. Whatever it is, he puts the almost-empty soup on the side table and grabs Max’s hand, pulling him onto the couch. As soon as Max is sitting down, Yakko puts his head down in Max’s lap. 

Just when he’s starting to regret this action, thinking it’s too bold, too soon to be asking for physical comfort, Max starts running a hand through Yakko’s hair. It’s soothing, and brings his pounding head down to a dull ache. He falls asleep there, just after the opening credits of a movie begin to roll. 

He wakes up again to find himself in the same spot he’d fallen asleep. Max is still there, and his siblings are creeping back in the door. He sits bolt upright, which makes him a little dizzy. Max jumps a bit, likely startled at the sudden movement from the guy who’d been asleep on his lap for a couple of hours. His siblings exchange knowing glances, grinning. Yakko rolls his eyes.

“Uhhhh hey, how was the show?” he asks, trying to straighten his pajamas as if he’d just been caught doing something bad. Max was even blushing, though he wasn’t sure why. 

“Great!” Wakko says, “We sounded amazing!” Yakko smiles. He stands, giving Wakko a hug. Wakko’s tail wags with excitement. Dot nods in agreement. 

“That’s great! I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.” he says, trying not to let on that he’s disappointed he didn’t get to go. 

“It’s okay, really.” Wakko says, looking sincere. 

“Yeah, you needed the rest.” Dot says, “Anyways, I’m just here to change outfits. We may have cancelled the dinner, but I’m still going out tonight.”

“I don’t have anything to do!” Wakko says, just before he’s elbowed by Dot. “I mean! I’m going, too. To uh. Hang out with Dot. Y’know, chaperone her date and all. Like a good big brother!” 

“Exactly,” Dot says, “So you guys have the place to yourselves tonight. Don’t get too crazy!” 

“Alright, but be safe,” Yakko says, knowing exactly what they’re doing, “And don’t stay out too late, we have meetings tomorrow.” 

“We would never.” Dot says, a gleam of mischief in her eyes. Yakko guesses he can’t be mad. He did, in fact, teach them both the ways of the mischievous. 

The two change clothes and leave, and again it’s just Yakko and Max. At least Yakko feels a little better, a little more coherent. 

“Well, what do you want to do?” Max asks, sitting back down on the couch next to him.

“Well, I’ve got some video games, if my sibs didn’t wear you out on them.” Yakko says. Max smiles. 

“I think I’d like that,” Max says. He hands Yakko a controller. 

“I’m great at Mario Kart. You’re so going down.” Yakko says.

“Yeah, I’m not great at it. Your siblings were kicking my butt last night.” Max admits, and Yakko laughs at the thought. 

“Yeah, they don’t hold back. I taught them that.” Yakko says, pride swelling through him. 

The race starts, and Yakko is, in fact, winning.

“I see your problem,” Yakko says, “You keep running off the road! Just go straight!” 

“Well, how do I keep it straight! I can’t do anything straight!” Max jokes, and Yakko can’t hold in his cackle. 

“Here, like this.” Yakko says. He tosses his controller aside and puts his arms around Max’s showing him how to press the buttons to maneuver correctly. “You just wanna go back and forth gently till you follow the path, see?”

They’re both blushing, and Yakko knows it, but it genuinely does seem to help, because Yakko only wins by a little in the next game.

“Finally, a formidable opponent!” He exclaims, fist-punching the air gently for emphasis. It makes Max laugh, and Yakko decides that’s the only sound he wants to hear for the rest of forever.

They continue to play for a while, until Yakko’s yawns are returning and he’s having trouble keeping his eyes open. He doesn’t even realize Max is asking him something until it’s been a minute. He looks at him quizzically, and Max smiles.

“I asked if you wanted to go to bed, but I think the answer is yes.”

Yakko runs a hand over his neck sheepishly. 

“I am a bit tired. But I’ve been sleeping all day, I shouldn’t be tired.”

“Hey, being sick will do that to you. Let’s get you to bed.” Max says, and it’s devoid of any of the judgement Yakko’s putting on himself, and he decides maybe letting himself be taken care of isn’t so bad. He takes Max’s hand and follows him to the bedroom. 

He lays down, rolling over. 

“I’ll text you tomorrow to see how you’re feeling, okay?” Max asks, and Yakko nods.

“I’d like that.” Yakko says, and he thinks Max might have said something else, but he drifts off to sleep before he can hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment letting me know if you liked it, and if you wanna see more like this! It really means so much to me!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yakko gets a gift and goes on his first date with Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 3! This one has more emphasis on fluff than angst, but I hope it's still enjoyable!

After a few days of bed rest and soup, forcibly brought on by his siblings, Yakko is back to full health, feeling better than he has in a long time. Sure, they’d had to reschedule the network meetings, something the execs were not too pleased with, but as he walks into work, he feels newly invigorated.

Of course, that might have had something to do with the texting he was doing. A little bit.

He and Max had been texting non-stop since Max had left the water tower a few nights ago. It was nice to have someone to talk to besides his siblings. It wasn’t just that, either, there was a feeling that came with seeing the name on his phone, like something was bubbling up through his stomach and making him want to smile. He hadn’t smiled like that in a long time.

Even as he’s clocking on, he’s texting Max back. They’ve been talking about everything under the sun, but this morning they’ve been talking about movies. Somehow, they got on the rather divisive topic of Citizen Kane. Max argued that it was a classic, and that it didn’t have to be enjoyable, while Yakko argued that it wasn’t good at all, one of the worst movies of all time, and that’s why they’d made fun of it so many times on Animaniacs, I mean, come on, Rosebud?! He’d done comedy more dramatic than that! Whatever he was saying, it was making Max send a bunch of laughing faces, and that made Yakko feel strangely appreciated. 

He knew his chances of Max coming into the coffee shop today were pretty slim, but he couldn’t help but hope, anyways. He sort of fantasized about Max taking him home again, sweeping him off his feet at the last second, but it’s not realistic. In fact, Wakko and Dot were sending someone to give him a ride to the restaurant where they’re going tonight to have dinner with Dot’s girlfriend, so he didn’t even need to be picked up. The thought was just nice, that was all. 

He makes his way through a fairly busy shift, sneaking looks at his phone whenever he gets a free second and none of his fellow employees are watching. He deals with a few rotten customers, but most of them were fairly okay. Still, he’s delighted when he clocks out and folds his apron up to put it in his bag. He pulls out his phone. 

Dot, 2 minutes ago: Your ride should be there soon. No need to thank me.

Before he can even wonder what that means, he looks up to see headlights pulling into the parking lot. As the truck gets closer, he makes out the driver and…

“Max? What are you doing here?” he asks, his voice a mix of surprise and excitement.

“Your sister asked me to pick you up. She invited me to dinner with you and Wakko and her girlfriend, I assumed she told you?” He asks, seemingly just as surprised as Yakko is. After a second, he climbs into the passenger seat. 

“She did not. Don’t worry, we’ll have words later.” he says, a bit of a mischievous glint in his eye. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you.” he says.

“Oh no, it’s fine! I’m actually kind of excited to go to dinner with you. I’ve really liked talking the last couple of days.” Max says, and Yakko can feel himself start to blush. 

“Y-yeah, me too.” he says, trying to come up with literally anything else to say. 

“Your siblings seem really great too.” Ah, now there’s a topic Yakko can get behind.

“They’re the best. Wakko’s band has been really taking off and Dot’s youtube channel is going really well, she’s having a lot of fun with it!” He says, launching into a story about their shenanigans last week. 

Before he realizes it, they’re pulling up at the restaurant. They make their way in together, and Yakko can’t help but think that it’s pretty nice. Dot joins them at the front and shows them to a table where her girlfriend and Wakko already sit.

The dinner goes really well. Dot’s girlfriend is really nice, and they all get along well. What Yakko is really focusing on, however, is how Max’s foot keeps brushing up against his under the table. It’s making it way too hard to focus. It’s also making his heart beat way too fast. 

When they’re done eating, Dot insists that she and Wakko need to ride back with her girlfriend, and that there’s no more room in the car, so Yakko’s just going to have to ride home with Max. He shoots her a look, knowing exactly what she’s doing, but he doesn’t say anything. He kind of wants it to happen, actually. 

Yakko’s fairly talkative on the ride home, as well. He was always talkative, of course, but when he’s nervous it increases tenfold. He barely has time to breathe in between sentences. As they pull up to the water tower, he apologizes for taking up all the time.

“What? No way! I love hearing you talk! It’s...really cute!” Max says, and Yakko’s heart melts. Not many people other than his siblings actually like it when he infodumps on them.

“Really? Thanks, that actually means a lot.” he says.

“Hey...this might sound weird but...would you, maybe, um. Wannagoonadatewithme?” Max asks, and it’s really fast, and Yakko’s not sure he heard him right, but he really hopes he did. His stunned silence must have been longer than he thought, because Max continues, “Only if you want to, but I’m free tomorrow night if you want to have dinner?”

“Yes!” Yakko says, and it’s a little too quick this time, but it’s better than just staring. “I mean, um, yes, I would like that.”

“Great!” Max says, his voice breaking a little bit. Yakko thinks he might be blushing. “I’ll pick you up at 7?” 

“That would be great!” Yakko says, smiling a lot more genuinely than he has in a long time. He opens the car door and steps out. “See you then!” he says, and he shares a wave with Max before closing the car door. 

When he gets into the water tower, Wakko and Dot are standing by the entrance, just waiting for him to come in. In the back of his mind, how they got back so fast.

“Soooooo?” Wakko asks, noting Yakko’s grin. Yakko pushes back them and falls dramatically into his bed.

“Please, I need my beauty rest! I have a date tomorrow night!” He says, barely holding in his giggle. His siblings celebratory exclamations make his heart flutter only a little less than it had in the car.

He falls asleep to the thought of seeing Max tomorrow.

\-----------------------------------------

The next morning, he wakes up to Wakko and Dot landing on his chest. He groans, looking at the clock. It’s 9 am, which he guesses is a good wake up time, but he didn’t have work or meetings or anything and he kind of wants to sleep in. His siblings, it seems, have other ideas. 

“C’mon, we have to get you ready for your date!” Wakko says, practically jumping up and down.

“Guys, the date isn’t until tonight. I don’t need to spend all day getting ready for it.”

“Oh no, you do. We have to go shopping, you need a new outfit!” Dot says, actually jumping up and down on his stomach. He lets out an oof as she lands.

“What’s wrong with my slacks?” he asks, looking in his closet to see several pairs of his everyday pants. 

“Well, for starters, they’re like twenty years old. Also, some of them have bologna in them. They’re fine for everyday, but this is a date.” Dot says. After a couple of more minutes of arguing, mostly consisting of Yakko insisting that Max will like him for who he is and Dot insisting that it would be fun to get him in new clothes, he finally concedes, and they find themselves on the bus to the mall. 

Yakko kind of hates malls. Bean survey ladies aside, they’re far too crowded for his taste and far too expensive for his wallet. As Dot dragged him into a fancier store, he almost gagged.

“Uh, sibs, I can’t even afford a thread of these! How about we find a different, preferably cheaper store?”

“They’ve got a clearance section, hold your horses.” she says, still dragging him through the store. As they park in front of clearance, she starts tossing pants on hangers to him, one after the other, as he tries to keep them all still. He catches a price tag that still has three figures in it, but before he can protest, he’s shoved into a montage of trying them on. 

The problem is, at the end of the montage, he finds the perfect pair. They’re close to his color, but brighter, better quality, and they make him look worth something. He can’t deny that they’re the perfect date pants. Even Wakko and Dot’s eyes turn to hearts when they see him in it. 

“Guys, I love them, but…” he pulls up the price tag. “Fifty dollars is a lot to pay for pants.”

Wakko and Dot smile mischievously, and Yakko narrows his eyes in confusion. Wakko pulls a wallet out of his hammerspace, and out of it comes a crisp hundred dollar bill.

“I got paid a little more than I thought for my show. I want you to have this.” he says. Yakko’s jaw drops open.

“I…” He says. He’s a bit speechless, which is a rare feat. “Wakko, I couldn’t...that’s yours!”

“You’ve spent your whole life getting stuff for us. Let me help you now.” Wakko says, and Yakko can’t stop a few tears from rolling down his face. He pulls his siblings in for a hug.

He can’t say the date pants were a bad idea as he looks at them on the way home. He’s still sniffling a bit, sometimes turning into tears if he thinks about it too hard. When they do get home, Dot insists on doing his makeup. He can’t lie, the combination makes him look great. By the time Max shows up, he’s thinking that maybe he can do this. 

He thanks his siblings once more and heads out to meet Max.

Max brings him to a boardwalk. It’s dark on the beach, but the neon lights of the boardwalk light their way. It’s a little loud for Yakko’s taste, but they walk through it and make it to a seafood restaurant at the far end.

As they eat, Yakko listens to Max talk about his family. He has a great relationship with his dad, never knew his mom, and is an only child. Yakko talks about how close he and his siblings are, and that’s where his first pang of nervousness comes from. He tried to avoid talking about his past whenever possible. It brought up a whole host of things he didn’t want to talk about. 

Feeling his chest tighten, they change the subject. He starts focusing on his siblings again, afraid to say anything out of line. He’d really hoped he wasn’t going to be so awkward about this, and now it seemed those hopes were fading. He was barely even able to look at Max anymore. And the worst part was, Max wasn’t even saying anything out of line. He kept talking about whatever Yakko wanted to talk about, and telling him it was okay if he didn’t want to broach certain subjects. So why did he feel like his chest was going to explode.

By the time they made it back outside, he was starting to sweat. Everything was too much. It was too loud, and there were too many people. The neon signs seemed to be closing in on him, and he couldn’t make out anything going on around him. Suddenly, Max grabbed his hand, and he pulled away, hard. He hadn’t meant to. He really wanted nothing more than to hold Max’s hand, at some point, but right now he was spiraling, and he didn’t want to be touched, but oh god now Max was staring at him in disappointment and confusion. 

He felt his breathing pick up, and the sights and sounds around him seemed to grow until they hurt. 

“You okay?” he heard Max ask through the fog, but he couldn’t respond. All he could do was run away. 

He’s not really sure how he made it back to the water tower. All he knows is that he’s a mess, and his makeup is running, and he’s never going to see Max again and he’s ruined what might have been his one chance at love. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic, but still. He’d really liked Max. 

He opens the door and walks in. His siblings rush over to him, but stop when they see him. Their faces drop.

“Are you...alright?” Dot asks, breaking the silence. He just shakes his head. He plops down on the couch, and the two of them come over to him, sitting by his sides while he tries to steady out his breathing. 

Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door.

He’s tempted to just let his siblings open it, but that gives him somewhat of an anxious feeling also, so he cracks the door and is almost surprised to see Max standing there, looking concerned.

“Hey! Uh, are you okay? You ran away kind of fast, did something happen?”

He’s genuinely worried, it seems. Yakko looks to his siblings, who nod him along. He goes outside, closing the door behind him. He gestures for Max to sit down next to him, their legs dangling over the edge of the tower as they look up at the stars. 

“I’m sorry. That’s not how I meant for the date to go. I just...I was anxious to begin with, I don’t have a lot of experience with dates, and then we were talking about family and I don’t like to go there if it’s not solely about my sibs, and then it was loud and bright, and I...I’m sorry. You can go, if you want. I won’t blame you if you don’t want to deal with me.”

“Yakko...please don't worry about it. I’m not going to fault you for having a panic attack. It happens, I get it. Next time, we’ll just try something a little more low-key.” Max says, and Yakko lets out a long exhale.

“Next time?” he asks.

“Y-yeah...I was thinking we could have a redo, if you want.” 

“That...would be good. I’m sorry I ruined this one.”

“You didn’t ruin anything! And, look, if you get overwhelmed again, I can help. Trust me, you’re not the first person I’ve seen have a panic attack. Dude, I’m in college.” he jokes, and Yakko cracks a smile. 

“You’re right. I just...I wanted this date to go perfect.” 

“And it will. Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up from work and we’ll have the best date ever.” Max says. “But for now, is there anything you want to talk about?”

And there is. Yakko opens up in a way he’s never done before. He talks about getting locked in the tower and caring for his siblings, and his feelings of dread thinking he’s doing the worst at it, and his feelings of protectiveness, and how he thinks he’s not enough. He’s only told this stuff to Scratchy, but now he’s doing it in a different way. This time, he’s just trying to seek an understanding. To his credit, Max listens. Like listens listens. He half expects him to tune it out and just nod after a couple of sentences, but he engages, asking questions. Max talks about growing up with a single dad, and his own experiences with anxiety. He talks about feeling like he doesn’t fit in. By the end, Yakko feels a whole lot better. When they finally part ways, it’s late. Max gives him a peck on the cheek before climbing down the ladder and driving away, leaving Yakko speechless. 

He walks back inside, finding his siblings asleep on the couch. He gives each one of them a kiss before carrying them to bed. 

As he’s leaving the room, he hears a small voice ask, “How did it go?” He turns around to see Dot and Wakko looking at him sleepily. 

“I think there’s a second date in our future.” he says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I have one more chapter planned to end it out, so I hope you'll stick with me! Let me know in the comments if you liked it and you want more like it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yakko and Max have their second date. Wakko and Dot help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is the last one! It's a little shorter than the others, so I'm sorry about that, but I hope you like it anyways!

Yakko can’t stand being at work anymore. It’s been a long shift and he’s got a date planned and he just doesn’t want to be there anymore. It’s low, they’ve barely seen a customer per hour, and he’s itching to leave.

So, when his coworker tells him to go home early, he’s ecstatic. He practically glides the whole way home, only to stop when he sees Max’s car parked in front of the house. Why was he there so early? Their date wasn’t for another three hours…

He climbs the ladder to the tower anyways, opening the door slowly.

He only gets a glimpse of his siblings inside before their eyes go wide and they pounce on him.

“What the-guys, what’s going on?” he asks as they fall on the balcony. 

“It’s a surprise!” They yell in unison, which intrigues Yakko.

“You weren’t supposed to be home yet!” Wakko says.

“I got off early...what do you mean a surprise?” Yakko asks, looking between the two of them, who can barely contain their grins. 

“Don’t worry about it, just...here, we’ll lead you to your room, and you stay there until we tell you to come out.” Dot says. 

“Yeah, just close your eyes!” Wakko says. Yakko thinks about protesting. He thinks about just asking what’s going on, what kind of shenanigans they have up their sleeves, but he can’t bring himself to. He has to admit he loves surprises, and it’s been a while since he did something in his own best interest. He sighs and does as he’s told. 

He sits in his room for a while, playing video games and trying not to think about what they might be planning. He’s excited, honestly. He’s getting a second date with _Max_. Whatever was happening out there, Max isn’t responding to his texts, so Yakko has to assume he’s pretty busy with something. He can’t really hear what’s going on, either, no matter how hard he tries. Eventually he gives up, puts on his date pants, and waits.

Finally, there’s a knock at his door. He thinks it’s just going to be his siblings at first, just telling him that it’s okay to come out, but instead he finds Max, fully clad in a suit, with flowers in his hand. Yakko can feel himself blushing immediately. 

“Hey. I thought, since you got a bit overwhelmed last time, we could go somewhere a little quieter, somewhere you’re a little more familiar with.” Max says, grinning a goofy grin that makes Yakko’s heart melt. Yakko smiles back, nodding. For once, he’s at all a loss for words. Max holds out his hand and Yakko takes it. 

Max leads him into the living room, where there’s a table set up for two with a candle in the middle. They take their seats on either side, and Max puts the flowers on the end of the table, too. Yakko looks around, idly wondering where his siblings were, and if they were okay. Before he can say anything out loud, Wakko enters the room from the kitchen. He’s wearing a waiter outfit and carrying a pitcher of water, which he pours into both of their cups. Yakko can’t help but laugh at the image of it. When he leaves, Max giggles sheepishly.

“It was their idea, really, and they wanted to help. Don’t worry, though, I made the food, and Dot promised she’d keep Wakko from eating it long enough to get it out here.” 

“They really are something else.” Yakko says. He can’t believe his siblings were doing all this for him. He supposed they might have been right all along in their efforts to get him and Max together. It had been a while since he’d had a friend that wasn’t a sibling or a costar, and it had been even longer since he’d had a real crush. It was nice.

By the time Dot’s delivered the food, thankfully untouched by hungry siblings, they’re deep in a conversation about their acting days. Yakko was telling a story about the time he and his siblings filled Scratchy’s car with water, and Max countered with a story about the time he and PJ switched his dad’s shampoo with hair dye and he was blue for a week.

They’re only interrupted when Wakko bursts in and, in his best announcer voice, proclaims that it’s time for dessert. Even Max looks concerned, which concerns Yakko in return. 

“I...didn’t make a dessert.” Max says, and Wakko grins. 

Dot walks in, holding a platter. She sets it on the table, then opens it dramatically to reveal a cake. The icing across the top reads, in crude handwriting, “ _Congrats on your second date_.” Yakko looks up at the two of them in awe.

“You guys used the oven?” he asks, looking over his shoulder, “And the place didn’t burn down?” He fakes shock, but he can’t hide the tears forming at the edges of his eyes. They share a grin and continue their roles as waiters, leaving the room soon after. 

The date continues, and Yakko finds himself never wanting it to stop. He loves the goofy grin constantly on Max’s face, and the way he laughs when Yakko tells a joke no matter how corny it is, and the way the conversation comes so naturally. By the time Max has to leave, he’s already planning out a third date. 

As he’s walking Max out, he decides to go for it. He kisses Max on the cheek, really quickly, and watches as Max’s face goes as red as his feels. Then, Max leans in and kisses him, for real this time, and Yakko’s heart feels like it’s about to beat out of his chest. When they pull away, he giggles.

“Does this mean we’re...y’know, dating?” Yakko asks. Max laughs that goofy laugh he’s fallen in love with.

“I mean, we’ve been on two dates, so we’ve been dating!” Max says and it’s just the kind of corny joke that makes Yakko fall head over heels.

When he walks back inside, his siblings are already working on cleaning up. He stops them, pulling them both into a hug. 

“Thanks, guys,” he says, “For everything.” 

As he finishes cleaning up and heads off to bed, he gets a text from Max.

_See you tomorrow?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this whole fic! I really hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please leave a like or comment so I know you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! If you want more fics from me, let me know in the comments! Have a great day! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want another part to this, because I could definitely write one if there's enough interest!
> 
> Let me know if y'all enjoyed!


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